A number of products include two components intended for use together. One such example is a lidded cup for use in a carry out situation. That is, when intended for use “on the go,” a cup will be provided with a correctly-sized lid for simultaneous use. One such example is a “hot cup” for use in carrying and serving hot beverages like coffee or tea. As would be recognized, such cups are provided with a lid so that the contents do not spill in transport or use.
In typical use, hot cups and lids have traditionally been sold for use in food service establishments, such as coffee shops or take out restaurants. A person buying a hot drink often takes the drink into a car or drinks it “on the go.” In the past, a person generally purchased hot drinks for portable use in a food service establishment. However, because of time or cost, a person might wish to take a hot beverage from home for consumption in a car during a morning commute or in another “on the go” situation.
For this reason, re-usable commuter hot cups have experienced widespread use. As would be readily recognized by users, re-usable hot cups can be cumbersome to store after use, thus causing clutter in a car or in a purse or bag. Also, they are also inconvenient to clean regularly, somewhat expensive, and can be easily lost. In view of these difficulties, commuters have begun using “one time use”/disposable hot cups and lids that have been previously sold only for use in food service establishments.
One such product is PerfecTouch™ Grab'N GO® which comprises a PerfecTouch brand insulated hot cup and its associated lid. PerfecTouch insulated hot cups are described in detail in a number of U.S. Patents such as the following (the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference): U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,576,709 and 4,435,344. This hot cup and its complementary lid have garnered widespread use in the foodservice market and has recently began to be sold for non-foodservice use.
This cup and lid is packaged for home use (or other non-foodservice establishment use such as an office lunch room) in a transparent plastic bag. In its current package, the PerfecTouch cups are located at one end of the package and the lids at the opposite end of the same package. To retrieve a cup and a lid for simultaneous use, all cups and lids must be taken out of the packaging for storage or both ends of the package must be opened. Since the cups and lids are complementary (that is, if a lid is lost, the cup is wasted and vice versa), care must be taken to ensure that the cups and lids are not separated or lost. The current method of dispensing these complementary cups and lids is not optimal and a method to improve the dispensing of this product for use in non-foodservice establishments would be desirable.
Additionally, the cup and lid package sold for non-foodservice use currently is long and thin and can also be difficult to display attractively on a store shelf. The package dimensions generally dictate that the package must be displayed on the top store shelf, which is not optimal for increasing sales in a retail setting. There is thus a need for a system that would improve visibility of a package of complementary cups and lids in a retail environment.
Other forms of products intended for use as a unit comprising at least two components also can be difficult to dispense and display in an efficient and attractive manner.
In other words, there is a need in the industry to provide a product that improves the dispensing and packaging of items having complementary components, such as lids and cups for home or office use or lidded containers.